Serving on the board is an amazing opportunity to invest in our community and build lasting relationships. A more active role in an organization pursuing local development while promoting health, care for the land, and sustainability is wildly inspiring!

I’ve been a regular at Bloomingfoods since moving to Bloomington!

During my undergrad at Michigan State, local community members launched a food co-op from scratch (ELFCO). I built relationships between the co-op, university, and students with a focus on accessible programs.

I honed my ability to work cooperatively during my time at the Alliance to End Hunger - a coalition of organizations working to end the root cause of hunger. Representing and advocating for diverse voices from across the country, I learned how to communicate effectively and engage people with lived experiences.

I have undergraduate degrees in Political Theory, and Economics. Currently, I’m an MPA student studying nonprofit management. This education has prepared me to navigate the organization’s operations, policymaking, and business finances.

Flint, Michigan - where many in my family call home - responded to the water crisis with a community-wide healthy food playbook. It was designed with my same values of fairness, compassion, and creativity. The co-op’s work - like in Flint - is a positive feedback loop of compassion, fairness, and creativity.

BCS is the table where Bloomington breaks bread. We must ensure diverse voices have a seat at the table, that the meal we share is sustainable and healthy, and our discussion is thoughtful and educating.

Bloomington is one of the worst cities in America in income inequality post-pandemic. The missing middle poses massive challenges in maintaining a store whose only concern isn’t corporate profits. Thoughtful community investment, dignified employment, and high engagement opportunities can build the social capital we need to weather this storm.

I will approach every decision and discussion by first asking “how will ____ impact us in the long run” and “how will ____ impact our resiliency?” We cannot uphold our goal of supporting future generations unless every crossroads is met with this prospective lens.